Pipe joint



SPt- 20, 1949- v. v. scARlNGELLA 2,482,558

' PIPE JOINT Filed oct. 26, 1946 (Ittorneg Patented Sept. 20, 1949 UNI-.T ED' STATE S PATENT OFFICE- PIPE JOINT Vito V. Scarhgclla, Woodlynne, N.. J.

Application October: 26, 194,.Seria1fNo. 705,373

4 Claims. (Cl. 285-211) This. invention relates. to sheet. metal pipe structures,V and more particularly tm a sectional pipe construction especially usefulY in forming pipe. Aelliovfs and the like..

Sheet.metal pipes for usewith furnaces, heating systems, ,air conditioning, systems, and the like arewell known. In generaL. such pipes are constructedv of. tubular sections which. are. rolled out of sheetV metal and have their overlapping, longitudinal edges riveted .or otherwise permanently secured together, thus presentingso-called solid pipe sections; These sections may be straight or of segmental form,` the latter being usedz to form elbows or the like. In any case, such solid sections are exceedingly bulky and require considerable space for storage When they are vstocked or during shipmentY Since these. sections are hollow, it is apparent that much. oi the space occupied by them during storage is Wasted.

The primary object oi my present invention i's to provide an improved pipe structure which will notA be subject to the aforementioned disadvantage.

M'ore particularly, it is an objject of my presentinventon tov provide an improved, sectional. pipe structure the sections of which can be either set up to providecontinuous pipes or stackedincompact, nested. relation to occupy a oi space for storage and' shipment..

.Another object. of my invention is to provide :el:

an improved, sectional pipe structure the sec.- tlons of which can be either assembled or separated. with great ease.

Still `another object of. my invention is to pro.- vide an improved. pipe structure as. aforesaid the sections of which can be assembled to provide either straight pipes or curved pipes such as e1- hows.

A further object of my invention. is. tol provide an improved pipev structurev as aforesaid the -sections. oi which can be locked together firmly and without danger of coming apart. accidentally.

Still a further object of my present invention isto provide a. novel latching device for connectlng and releasably locking together pipesections as. above set forth.

It is. also an object of my invention. to provide. an. improved pipe structure. oi the type indicated above which is` economical cost, which can be set up quickly and accurately even by one not. familiar with pipev constructions, and which highly efcient in use.

The novel features that I consider .characteristie, of my invention are. setY forth with particul'arity in the` appended claims. The. invention 5.5-

2 itself, however, both as tol its organizations amd method of. assembly, as well as additional' advantages thereof, will: best.V be understood trom the following description of, one ernitaodi.-l ment the-reci, whenread in connection with the accompa-riymg drawing in which Figure l is aside elevation ci a pipe stnictuxe. according toJ one form o myinventiornand emahodying;y three pipe sections assembledto provide a curved; pipe, or elbow,

Fig-ure- 2 is a similar view but showing; the same. three sections assembled to provide a straight pipe',

Figure,- 3 is a sectional view .taken on the line IIL-III of. Eigure l and showing,l in. dotted lines,l

one. endy oi one oi thepfipesections separated from its other end,

Figure Lt is a perspectiveview showing. the midldle and locking pipe section of Figures yl* andf with its ciampi-ng latch open',A and also showing*i in dotted linerv the manner in which another ci the pipe sections may be nested therewithin for compact storage,A and Figure 51 is ai fragmentary viewlof the. pipe seittion shown in solid lines in. Figurev 4 with the clamping, latch closed toV holst the` marginal edge portions longitudinally of. this section in om lapped. and closed' relation.

Referring morev particularly to the drawing in which similar reference characters designate corresponxling` parts; throughout, there: is in Iiigure I, a pipe. consistingy of two; end i and a. middle section 3. ah rolled out of sheet metal and assembled toprovide an elbow. The

sections l are provided with inwardly directed beads 5 and the section 3 with outwardly directed beads. 'l which mate with the beads. 5 to interiock the several. pipe sections into a unitary, continuous; pipe etmoture. when the. sections l ands .are assembled in a. manner to be more fully setforth hereinafter.. Each of the sections t and a is 'rotatahle the other and.' each is of segmental. shape `or .forro so that,` when .they are assembled intherelaltionshown in Figure l, they provide an 'l elbow pipe structure, and' when the end sections;

i are. rotated 18.0' relative to the section 3! and the three sections are assembled as in Figure.l 2, they provide av straight-.pipe structure.

By reason oi the segmental shapes of. the

sections I and 3; each of them has diametricll-y` opposed short and long sides longitudinal-ly thereof- Lthat is, in a. direction parallel to its axis). The sections l are split longitudinallyalong their said long, sides to provide, relatively long ends; andA lb- AcljacexattI their ends La, the sections i are formed with one or more slots 9 by forcing portions thereof outwardly as best shown in Figure 3. The ends Ib of the sections I are provided with a like number of tab extensions I3 which are adapted to fit into the slots 9. When the tabs I3 are inserted into the slots 9 and are bent back inwardly, as shown in solid lines in Figure 3, the iiexible sections I are contracted and the marginal portions adjacent their respective ends a and Ib are connected in overlapping relation to complete the tubular sections I. On the other hand, by simply bending the tabs |3 forwardly and withdrawing them from the slots 9, the ends Ia and Ib become separated and the sections i are then expanded and open, as indicated by the dotted lines of Figure 3.

The middle section 3, in contrast to the end sections I, is split longitudinally along its aforesaid short side, as seen from Figure 4, to provide relatively short ends 3a and 3b. A clamping latch carried by the section 3 adjacent its ends 3a and 3b may be manipulated either to expand and open the flexible section 3 by forcing its ends 3a and 3b apart, as in Figure 4, or to contract the section 3 by bringing the longitudinal marginal portions of the section 3 adjacent to its edges 3a and 3b into overlapping relation and to lock them in the latter relation, as seen in Figure 5. When the section 3 is thus locked in contracted condition around the sections I, the three sections become interlocked into a continuous pipe structure. However, they can be easily separated by merely unlatching the latch I5.

The latch I5 includes a plate |1 which may be riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the end 3a and which is formed with a pair of upstanding, resilient ears I9. Pivotally carried by the plate I1 is a link 2| provided with a plurality of openings 23 for loosely receiving therein the inwardly directed ends of a U-shaped bail link of resilient material. Thus, the link 25 is pivotally connected to the link 2|. A second plate 21 which is secured to the end 3by by rivets or the like pivotally carries the bail link 25. In this way, the ends 3a and 3b are -coupled to each other. The plates |1 and 21 are so located on the ends 3a and 3b that these ends will overlap each other when the link 2| is brought down over the plate I1. By snapping the link down between the resilient ears I9, it will be locked against and will overlap the plate I1. To open the latch, it is merely necessary to withdraw the link from between the ears i9. If the link 2| is then raised away from the plate I1, it will apply a force on the link 25 to push the plate 21 away from the plate l1 and will thus open the pipe section 3. By spreading apart the sides of the resilient bail link 25, its ends may be withdrawn from any aligned pair of the openings 23 and inserted into another pair of said openings. Thus, the link 23 may be adjusted on the link 2| circumferentially of the section 3 to thereby vary the extent of relative movement of the plates I1 and 21 when the link 2l is lowered and raised, and thereby the extent of overlap of the ends 3a and 3b. This is to insure a tight t of the section 3 on the sections I.

When the several pipe sections are to be stored, they are all opened as above described and any one of them may be nested within any other one or more of them because, being exible, they can be contractedrto a suitable diameter for nesting within each other when their longitudinal ends are separated. The dotted position of one of the sections within the section 3 in Figure 4v illustrates how the several sections may be stored compactly to occupy no more space than does a single section. When the several sections are to be set up to provide a continuous pipe structure, the sections are rst set up by inserting their tabs I3 into the associated slots 9 and bending the tabs back. The two end sections are then brought up alongside the middle section 3 and the latch I5 is closed, care being taken to make sure that the beads 1 will interlock with the beads 5. If the section 3 does not t tightly around the sections the bail link 25 can be moved along the link 2| into the desired openings 23 to insure a tight t. Thus, there is assured a rm, continuous pipe structure which can be set up easily in practically no time at all, and which can be just as easily and quickly dismantled and arranged for compa-ct storage.

Although I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it will undoubtedly be apparent that many other forms thereof, as well as variations in the one described above, are possible. Moreover, it should be obvious that as many pipe sections as may be desired can be employed utilizing the improved features of my present invention, it being necessary only that the sections I and 3 be alternately arranged. Accordingly, I desire that the form of my invention herein described shall be taken merely as illustrative and in no sense as limiting.

I claim as my invention:

l. A pipe structure comprising a plurality of tubular pipe sections each having relatively long and short diametrically opposed sides, certain of said sections comprising members which are split along their said long sides, said long sides being separably connected in overlapping relation to provide certain of said pipe sections, and at least one other of said sections comprising a member which is split along its said short side, said short side being also separably connected in overlapping relation whereby to provide said one other section, said sections being all separably connected to each other in continuous relation, and said overlapping marginal portions being all separable upon separation of said sections from each other to permit opening of the respective sections for the reception therein of one or more of the other of said sections in nested relation therewith, and clamping means on at least one of said sections operable in a circumferential direction thereon for releasably locking said pipe sections to each other in assembled relation, said clamping means including a pair of elements which are adjustable relative to each other also in said circumferential direction for varying the effectiveness of said clamping means.

2. A clamping member for joining the ends of a flexible pipe section or the like which comprises a pair of plates for connection of each to another one of said ends, a rst link pivotally `carried by one of said plates in proximity to the other of said plates, a second link pivotally carried by said other plate in proximity to said first plate and also pivotally connected to said rst link whereby, when said rst link is brought into overlapping relation with said iirst plate it will exert a force on said second link a draw said second plate toward said first plate and when it is raised from said rst plate it will exert an opposite force on said second link to push said second plate away from said rst plate, and means on said rst plate for releasably latching said rst link in overlapping relation therewith.

3. A clamping member according to clairn, characterized in that said second link is adjust# ably connected to said rst link for adjustment REFERENCES CITED along the length of said mst Unk whereby to vary The following references are of record in the the extent of movement of said second plate relame of this patent: tive to said rst plate upon pivotal movement of said rst link. 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. A clamping member according to claim 2 Number Name Date characterized in that said latching means com- 683584 Wimmer Oct L 1901 prises a pair of resilient ears on said rst plate 807,496 Rankin Dea 19J 1905 for engagement Said first: When Said Mares July 4, rst link is brought against said rst plate. 10 2,194,162 Conner Man 19, 1940 VITO V. SCARINGELLA. 

